The present invention relates to multi-station metal-forming machines, such as transfer presses, and, in particular, to an orientation station of the type that is located between adjacent work stations of the machine, receives the work pieces seriatim from the upstream station, holds them temporarily, and while they are held reorients them for transfer to the downstream station.
Reorientation stations, which are sometimes referred to as universal or depositing stations and are well-known, have template carriers that are mounted on a system of positioning devices for moving the template carriers axially with respect to the flow direction of the work pieces (the x-axis), transversely of the flow direction (the z-axis), and vertically (the y-axis) and for tilting the template carriers forwardly and rearwardly about a transverse axis (the tilt axis) and rolling them from side to side about an axial axis (the roll axis). The template carriers receive templates that match the shapes of portions of the work pieces that arrive from the previous work station and hold the work pieces in a stationary position during reorientation. After reorientation to a position for movement from the reorientation station to the next working station of the machine, the work pieces are picked up and transferred to the next station. Modern reorientation stations are fully automated and computer controlled and operate at very high speeds.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,318 (Thudium et al., Sep. 17, 1991, "the '318 patent") describes and shows a depositing station having, starting at the bottom of a stack of positioning mechanisms that operate in series, a z-axis transfer mechanism, an x-axis transfer mechanism, a y-axis lift/lower mechanism, a roll mechanism and a tilt mechanism. Because the x-axis and z-axis mechanisms are at the base of the machine, the station of the '318 patent cannot be used in presses that have equipment, such as liftclamp modules, located between adjacent work stations. The depositing station of the '318 patent also requires devices separate from the depositing station for changing the templates and template carrier bars when the press tooling is changed to produce a different part.